To Love a Slytherin is to be a Slytherin
by shadowfax-legolas
Summary: It's Malfoy's 6th year and everything would be as it always had except for one thing... a transfer student from America. She will teach him how to love, and how to be loved. Another American transfer student will fall in love with Ron, and he will fall fo
1. Ch 1 The Transfer Students

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except plot. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
Ch. 1- The Transfer Students  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in a Hogwarts Express compartment alone when two girls, a short African American girl and a pale-faced girl with short curly brown hair, came in.  
  
"Hello," said the African American girl whose hair was done in a cascade of braids. "Can we share this compartment with you peeps? We are the transfer students, well some of them anyway. We don't know anyone here." Harry, who thought the girl very attractive, smiled.  
  
"Sure, we don't mind. Have a Chocolate Frog on me," he said. The girl smiled.  
  
"Thanks," she said. "I'm Jessica Parham, from the Salem Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America. This is Tara Chumney; she's also from America but from the Morgan le Fey All-Girl Institute. She's never been to a co-ed school so she's nervous around the boys." Hermione nodded because she had been like that once. Ron looked at the girl who was just as short as Jessica and noticed that she looking at him. He smiled and Tara blushed and looked away quickly. Hermione, who found this interesting, raised her brows at Ron.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, nothing," Hermione said with a smirk. If he didn't know he liked Tara, she wasn't about to tell him.  
  
"You guys can sit here," she said and moved Crookshanks and put him on the floor. Jessica let Tara sit by Hermione, therefore she was sitting across from Ron, and then she sat across from Harry.  
  
"So. um, who are you guys?" Jessica asked looking from Harry to Ron to Hermione.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione said and held out her hand to Jessica, which was hard because she had to reach over Tara. They shook hands. "I'm Hermione Granger, this"- and she pointed to Ron-"is Ron Weasley, and he is"- but Harry beat her to it.  
  
"I'm Harry Potter," he said and an intake of breath came from Tara and she said the longest sentence she'd ever said in her life.  
  
"Are you really? I've read all about you. Was it scary, dueling with Voldemort and his Death Eaters last year? I'm sorry if I'm rambling, but it's so good to finally meet you."  
  
"Yes I am." he said trying to answer her questions but they kept overlapping. "It was. I had a lot of help. oh, that's ok. nice to meet you too." He sighed. "Finally got a full sentence out," he said under his breath. Someone laughed, it had been Jessica. Harry looked up, saw she was looking at him, and looked away, blushing.  
  
"So, what houses do you guys think you'll get in?" Ron asked.  
  
"I want to be in Gryffindor," Tara said quietly.  
  
"Well, I want to be in Slytherin," Jessica said.  
  
As Jessica said that, Malfoy walked past, heard the word "Slytherin", and doubled back. He slid open the compartment and looked in while saying, "What was that about Slytherin? Oh, Potty, Weasel, and Granger." His eyes skimmed the compartment and passed over Tara and fell upon Jessica. He stared at her. Jessica glares at him.  
  
"Do you have a staring problem, or is there just something wrong with your head?" she asked coldly. Hermione laughed, but not at what Jessica had said. She laughed because she'd never expected Draco Malfoy, cruel and heartless as he was, could ever truly like anyone, and he really liked Jessica.  
  
"I wouldn't laugh, Granger," he said to Hermione. He turned back to Jessica. "See you around," he said and left, sliding the door closed.  
  
"What was that about," Jessica asked them. Harry and Ron shook their heads, but Hermione smiled.  
  
"Don't you see? He. Draco Malfoy. likes you," Hermione said.  
  
"Yes, well, N-E-ways," Jessica said, but Hermione noticed the grin on Jessica's face. Harry, who also noticed, changed the subject.  
  
"Why do you want to be in Slytherin," he asked her.  
  
"Well, it's said in iHogwarts, A History/i that most who were in Slytherin went bad. I'm going to prove otherwise."  
  
They talked the rest of the way, and Tara listened rather than talked. The train slowed and Jessica, Tara, and Hermione went to another compartment to change into their school robes. When they got back there were two visitors.  
  
"Jessica, Tara," Ron said. "This is my little sister, Ginny, and her friend, Luna Lovegood."  
  
"Hey," Jessica said by way of greeting.  
  
The train slowed to a halt and, leaving their stuff in a pile to be brought up to the castle later, they got off the train.  
  
The seven of them shared a coach that was pulled by skeletal reptilian horse-looking creatures, which had scared Jessica when she saw them.  
  
"You see them, too," Harry asked and when she nodded, Hermione and Tara explained why she could.  
  
"Oh, that makes sense," Jessica said. "Yeah, I saw my uncle die. So, you see the Thestrals, Harry?" Harry nodded gravely. "You don't have to have to talk about it," she said soothingly, making Harry like her even more. "I understand."  
  
"Thank you," he said.  
  
"No, problem," Jessica said. "So, Dumbledore's a good Headmaster?"  
  
"He's brilliant," Ron said, and caught Tara's eye, and Tara, who was ironically sitting next to him, blushed.  
  
The carriage stopped in front of the entrance to the castle and they got out.  
  
"Well, we just keep bumping into each other," came Malfoy's drawling voice. Jessica rolled her eyes, turned around, and smiled sweetly at Malfoy.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something? All I heard was 'blah, blah, blah'," she said and with that twirled a round with a sly smile and stormed up the stone steps and into the castle with the others, laughing, at her heels.  
  
Harry caught up with her but just as he was about to congratulate Jessica on giving one of the best insults ever thrown at Malfoy, Professor McGonagall called to them.  
  
"Miss Parham, you will have to come with the first years. You too, Miss Chumney," she said spotting Tara talking with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.  
  
"Oh, coming Professor. Professor"-  
  
"McGonagall," Ron supplied.  
  
"What? Oh, Professor McGonagall," Tara said, and blushing she smiled and said, "Thanks, Ron."  
  
Together, she and Jessica followed McGonagall. 


	2. Ch 2 The Plan

Ch. 2- The Sorting  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny joined the other Gryffindors at the Gryffindor table. They were talking about Quidditch and who the new captain would be since Angelina left, when the Great Hall doors opened and the first years, led by McGonagall, came in. At the back of the line were Jessica and Tara. Jessica waved at Harry as she passed.  
  
They formed a long line at the front of the staff table, where a stool was placed and a hat sat upon the stool. Dumbledore stood up and all manner of talking died down.  
  
"Welcome, students, to another year. I hope you all have been practicing your spells over the break. Yes, I am aware that you are not supposed to use magic outside of school, but in the dark of these days the Ministry has allowed you to practice them. We must all be on our guard.  
  
"This year we have formed a new program. It is the Elixir of Life Transfer Student program. Two of those students we have here today. They are from America. Two more will come from Durmstrang, and two more will come from Beauxbatons.  
  
"We will sort the first years first," he said and sat down. Professor McGonagall called each student forward and soon they had all been sorted and only Jessica and Tara remained.  
  
"Chumney, Tara," McGonagall called.  
  
Slowly, Tara went forward, placed the Sorting Hat on her head, and sat on the stool.  
  
"Ah, yes. clever, smart, and brave. Brave in a many are not. You don't let people walk over you. You belong in . GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table erupted into applause as Tara made her way to the table. Ron moved over to allow her to sit next to him.  
  
"Well, you got the house you wanted," he remarked making Tara blush. She looked back to the staff table were Jessica stood alone.  
  
"Parham, Jessica," McGonagall called, and Jessica, her head high, went forward, sat on the stool, and placed the Sorting Hat on her head.  
  
"You are brave, smart, and loyal to your friends and you have a great thirst to prove yourself. Surely that would be Gryffindor material?"  
  
"Let me be in Slytherin, let me be in Slytherin."  
  
"You want to be in Slytherin? Oh, of course. I see why you want to be in that house. You will be in. SLYTHERIN!" The table on the far right erupted into applause. A smug smile filtered on Jessica's face as she sat at the table, but the minute she sat down she wished she would've chosen a better seat.  
  
"Well, you got in the best house there is in this place," came Malfoy's drawling voice. Jessica smiled.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, are you in this house?" she asked sarcastically. Malfoy nodded. "Well then, if we are going to see a lot of each other, I should tell you. most girls don't like guys with big heads." With that she took out a book and began reading it.  
  
After the feast Dumbledore stood up. The Great Hall silenced, except for some Slytherins.  
  
"Welcome again to a new year at Hogwarts. I give leave to the fifth year prefects to take the new first years to their dorms and the sixth year prefect boys in Slytherin and Gryffindor to take the transfer students around the castle and then to the dorms. Everyone else can be dismissed to bed."  
  
"Well then," said Malfoy. "It seems that we have the entire evening to ourselves." It didn't sound like anything was meant by Malfoy's comment, but Jessica, who could see right through his stormy grey eyes, glared at him.  
  
"Just because I'm new and short doesn't mean I'm easy prey. I know all about your sort and I'm telling you right now, you and I will never be in a situation like that. Understand?" She'd said all this in a whisper and the only ones who heard besides Malfoy were Crabbe and Goyle, but Jessica could already tell that they were too thick to know that one plus one equaled two. "No, you can give me a tour of this place, or I can get someone else to do it.  
  
Malfoy, who seemed to think it would be fun to "tame" this American, said, "We could check out the lake." But Jessica glared. "Or we could check out the library."  
  
"Much more like it," Jessica said and, leaving Crabbe and Goyle behind, they went to the library.  
  
"So, Tara," Ron said, "I'm sure you are sorry to hear that I, and not Harry, am the Prefect." Tara shook her head.  
  
"I'm not sorry," she said and then her cheeks flushed. "I mean, that is to say, I don't mind that it's you, and not Harry, that's the Prefect." Ron couldn't help but give Harry the "finally a girl who likes me instead of you" look.  
  
"So. where would you like to go first?"  
  
"Um., the"- she began and Ron smiled.  
  
"Let me guess, the library?" Tara's eyes brightened as she nodded. Together they left, up to the library.  
  
"Tara," Jessica called when she saw Ron and Tara enter the library over the top of her book. Malfoy had been staring at her while she read for the last ten minutes and she hadn't noticed, but now she did.  
  
"If you don't stare at something else, like a book maybe, I will poke your eyes out and hang them over the Slytherin Common room. Get it?" Jessica asked and rolled her eyes. "Tara, Ron, over here.  
  
Ron and Tara went to their table and sat down.  
  
"And who's this, Weasley, a girlfriend?" Malfoy asked. Ron and Tara both grew as red as Ron's hair. Jessica punched Malfoy on the arm.  
  
"Ow!" Malfoy exclaimed, rubbing his arm where Jessica had hit it. "What did you do that for?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. for making fun of my friends. And so what if they were going out? It's their business, not yours!" She got up, checked the book out, and came back. "Ok, show me to the dorms, Malfoy."  
  
"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Draco?" Malfoy asked sweetly.  
  
"At least a hundred times before I call you anything even close to your name. Bye Tara, bye Ron."  
  
They left and a while later Ron and Tara left for Gryffindor tower.  
  
At the same time, Jessica and Tara's heads hit their pillows, and both thought entirely different thoughts.  
  
iI really like him, and it seems like he likes me. I should talk to Hermione though. I'd feel stupid if I told a guy I liked him and he already had a girlfriend./i  
  
Miles out of earshot, in her four poster bed, her curtains closed around her except for a small crack that let a sliver of moonlight hit her bed, Jessica was deep in thought.  
  
iI really hate guys, well, except for Harry and Ron. Malfoy is gorgeous and all, but he's so freaking arrogant. I'd like him better if he deflated his head a bit./i  
  
Then she got an idea. Slowly, she tiptoed to her trunk and opened it. She shuffled through her stuff until she found the thing she was looking for. Her favorite book: iThe Newest and Latest Potions of Today. /i  
  
Written by her father, she knew how to make all the potions in the book. Sitting on her bed she skimmed the book until she reached the page she'd been looking for: Chapter 16, The Personality Switch Potion. Slowly she read the page to make sure she'd gotten the right one.  
  
centerbThe Personality Switch Potion/b/center  
  
The Personality Switch Potion can turn any unattractive personality into a desirable one. People who are abusive can turn into the gentlest of people. Bigheaded and arrogant people will become thoughtful and generous, and they won't even lose any of there wit and humor.  
  
While this potion may sound wonderful, it can also be quite dangerous. Do not give this to any who do not need it or it will leave horrible results. Use this potion wisely.  
  
To concoct this potion it must be prepared on the twentieth of the month while the moon is in its full.  
  
Ingredients needed: 1 tooth of an African fruit bat 2 feathers from the Australian Grey goose. 2 eyes from a Canadian Black crow 1 vile of rats' blood 1 pinch of sacrificial ash  
  
Jessica bit her lip. The only way she could get the ingredients needed would be to steal them from the Potion Master's private stores and for that she would need. Hermione. She decided she would ask her the next day.  
  
"Tomorrow," she told herself as she dog-eared the page and hid the book under her bed. She got into her four poster once more, covered up, and closed the curtains around her. 


End file.
